UK Geography

It has been claimed that the British love of compromise is the result of the country’s
physical geography. This may or may not be true, but it is certainly true that the land and climate
in Britain have a notable lack of extremes. Britain has mountains, but none of them are very high.
It also has flat land, but you can’t travel too far without encountering hill. The British Isles have
many rivers, but they are short and, since the west coast is mountainous, most of the flow
eastward. Because of the humid climate, the water-level is always high. They seldom freeze in
winter. Their navigability made them important inland transport, but as they are not deep they
are not navigable for large ships. Serve as water supply.

The UK consists of 4 parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England,
Scotland and Wales occupy the largest island – Great Britain. Northern Ireland is situated in the
north-western part of Ireland. Southern Ireland is an independent state – the Republic of Ireland
(or Eire) with its capital Dublin.

The British Isles

The country is situated on the British Isles.

During the 18th and 19th centuries these isles were generally called 'the British Isles', but
now this name is regarded as outdated because it calls to mind the time when Ireland was
politically dominated by Britain. By the way, there is no agreement about what to call them
together.
So what can we call the islands? Among the names which have been used are “The north-
east Atlantic archipelago”, “Islands of the North Atlantic”, or simply “The Isles”. But none of
these has become widely accepted. The most common term at present is “Great Britain and
Ireland”. But even it is not correct geographically, because it ignores the smaller islands.
In this geographical area there are two states. One of these governs most of the island of
Ireland. This state is called “The Republic of Ireland” (Sometimes it’s called “Eire” – an Irish
language name). Informally it’s referred to as “Ireland” or “The Republic”.
The other state has authority over the rest of the area (GB, the north-eastern area of Ireland)
and most of the smaller islands).

Outer Water Bodies

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles
– a group of isles lying off the north-west coast of Europe.
The country is separated from the continent by the North Sea in the east, by the Celtic Sea,
the English Channel and the Strait of Dover in the South and south-west. On the west of the
United Kingdom is washed by the Atlantic Ocean.
The Strait of Dover (Pas de Calais) is a strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel.
It connects Dover and Calais. There is a high-speed Eurostar passenger train from London via
the Channel Tunnel, taking as little as 2 hours 15 minutes for the journey to Paris and 1 hour 55
minutes for the journey to Brussels. The shortest distance across the strait is 34 km.

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 The two largest islands of the British Isles are Great Britain and Ireland, which are
separated by the Irish Sea, the North Channel, St. George's Channel and the Celtic Sea.
As the coastline of the country is indented, there are a lot of bays there and channels.
The eastern coastline of the isle of Great Britain is quite regular, while in the west the
coastline is broken by cliffs, bays and inlets. Along the country's coastline there are a number of
bays and inlets. If we start from the east, we've got to mention the Thames Estuary first.

Further north lies the bay of Wash, or just the Wash. It's a square bay and estuary at the
north-west corner of East Anglia on the East coast of England, where Norfolk meets
Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom. The Wash is fed by the
rivers Witham, Welland, Nene and Great Ouse.
Inland from the Wash the land is flat, low-lying and often marshy: these are the Fens of
Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.
The Humber /ˈhʌmbər/ is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is
formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. Although
the Humber is an estuary from the point at which it is formed, many maps show it as the River
Humber.
The Firth of Forth is quite a big inlet. Geologically, the Firth of Forth is a fjord.
The Firth of Tay /ˈteɪ/ is a firth in Scotland into which Scotland's largest river in terms of
flow, the River Tay empties. The firth has a maximum width of 3 mi (4.8 km).
Two bridges span the firth, the Tay Road Bridge and the Tay Rail Bridge.
The Moray Firth (/ˈmʌrifɜːrθ/; is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea,
north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland. It is the
largest firth in Scotland.
The western coast of Scotland in fringed by a group of islands known as the Herbides.
They're divided into the Inner and Outer Hebrides, which are separated by the Sea of Hebrides,
the Little Minch and the Minch.
Further south lies the Firth of Clyde. The Firth encompasses many Islands and Peninsulas
and has twelve ferry routes connecting them to the mainland and each other.
Liverpool Bay is a bay of the Irish Sea between northeast Wales and England. A number
of rivers, including the Mersey, drain into the bay. The bay has many dive sites.
The Mersey Estuary
Caernarfon Bay is an inlet of the Irish Sea defined by the Llŷn peninsula and Anglesey.
Cardigan Bay is a large inlet of the Irish Sea. Cardigan Bay has numerous beaches, and a
unique marine life. Much of the coast surrounding the bay is fertile farmland, dotted with towns
and seaside resorts.
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South
Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It takes its name from the English city
of Bristol, and is over 30 miles (50 km) across at its widest point.
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 Belfast Lough is a large, intertidal sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland. At its
head is the city and port of Belfast, which sits at the mouth of the River Lagan. The lough opens
into the North Channel and connects Belfast to the Irish Sea.

The Relief of the UK

The British Isles are comparatively small, but there’s a great variety of relief.

Great Britain’s physical relief can be roughly divided into 2 main regions:

 Highland Britain
- almost the whole of Scotland; the Lake District, the Pennines, almost the whole of Wales,
the south-west peninsula, coinciding with the counties of Devon and Cornwall

 Lowland Britain
- most of England; central lowlands of Scotland, some areas in south Wales.

Scotland

The northern part of the island of Great Britain together with the Orkneys, the Shetlands and
the Hebrides forms the kingdom of Scotland.

Capital – Edinburgh

Symbol – thistle

Relief

Scotland can be divided into The Highlands and the Lowlands. Yet, it has 3 regions: the
Highlands, the Central Lowlands (the Midland Valley) and the Southern Uplands. Low-lying
areas extend through the Midland Valley and along the greater part of the eastern seaboard.

The east coast contrasts with the west in its smoother outline. The west coast is fringed by
deep indentations (sea lochs or fjords) and by numerous islands. The island clusters
of Orkney and Shetland lie to the north.

You already know at least something about the island groups from the first lecture.

In the north of the country we find the Highlands. They are in many ways the wildest, the
loneliest and the most beautiful part of the country.

The Highlands are divided into the Northwest Highlands and the Grampian Mountains or
the Grampians.

This division is formed by a great fault (разлом) in the earth’s crust, the Great Glen or Glen
More. The Great Glen is a natural split in the earth that virtually divides Scotland into two.

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 The Grampians is the principal mountain system of Scotland. In the Grampians we find the
UK’s highest peak which is Ben Nevis (1,343 m/4,406 ft). The highlands consist of mountains
and deep valleys. It’s an area of spectacular natural beauty. Tourism is important for the local
economy as well as the production of whiskey.

To the south of the Highlands lie the Central Lowlands (the Midland Valley). The
Central Lowlands (or Midland Valley) is an area of relatively low-lying land in southern
Scotland.
It consists of a rift valley between traversed by several chains of hills. It is a narrow belt
comprising only about one-tenth of the area of Scotland, but 80% of Scotland's population lives
in this region.
A productive combination of fertile low-lying agricultural land and significant deposits of
economically valuable coal and iron have led to the Central Lowlands being much more densely
populated than the rest of Scotland. This region has Scotland’s best farmland. Wide, fertile
fields and low hills with patches of trees cover the entire region.
The major cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling and Dundee all lie in the Central
Lowlands. The North sea oil industry helps to keep the unemployment down in this area.

The Southern Uplands, consist largely of a moorland plateau traversed by rolling valleys
and broken by mountainous outcrops (hills). The hills here are lower than in the Highlands. The
top of the hills are largely barren, but rich pasture land covers most of the lower slopes.
It is an agricultural area which consists mostly of small towns, quite far apart from each
other. Their economy depends largely on sheep farming. Many sheep and cattle are raised in the
southern uplands.
In the south, the uplands rise to the Cheviot Hills.

The CHEVIOT HILLS - a range forming about 35 m. of the border

between England and Scotland. The boundary generally follows the line of greatest elevation.
The border runs for 96 miles (154 km) between the River Tweed on the east coast and
the Solway Firth in the west.
It is Scotland's only land border. England shares a longer border with Wales. The border is
marked by signposts welcoming travellers both into Scotland and into England.

A region near the border with England is known as the Border Country. It is also known
by the term the Scottish Marches. It is a term for the border country on both sides of the border
between Scotland and England. From the Norman conquest of England until the reign of James
VI of Scotland, who also became James I of England, border clashes were common and the
monarchs of both countries relied on March Lords to defend the frontier areas known as the
Marches.
The Border region is the land of broad valleys and hills. The main river of the Scottish
Borders area is the Tweed. It rises in the Southern Uplands and runs eastward, forming part of
the border with England in its lower course. The valleys of the Tweed and its many tributaries
are areas of fertile farmland.

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 Around two thirds of Scotland’s population live in one of the five major city regions
of Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee). The cities are important
generators of wealth; 40% of Scotland’s employment is located within the five city authorities,
a disproportionate amount of which is high-value employment.
Scotland’s two major cities have very different reputations. Glasgow the larger of the two
is associated with heavy industry, and some of the worst housing conditions in Britain. However
the image is one-sided. Glasgow has a strong artistic heritage.

In 1990 it was the European city of Culture. Over the centuries Glasgow has received
immigrants from Ireland and in in there is an echo of the same division in the community that
exists in Northern Ireland, I mean the devision into Catholics and Protestants.

Edinburgh is smaller than Glasgow and has a comparatively middle-class image. It is the
capital of Scotland and the seat of its parliament. It is associated with scholarship, the law and
administration. This reputation, together with its many fine historic buildings and its topography
in the middle of the city there is a rock on which stands the castle) has led to its being called the
Athens of the North. The annual Edinburgh festival of the Arts is internationally famous.

Aberdeen on the coast of Scotland has done well out of North Sea oil. But its people have
a problem in the winter. They are nearly 60 degrees north and on top of that almost the whole city
is built of granite, a grey stone which just soaks up the little light available. And it is this lack of
light (not the cold) which researchers blame for depression in the city. They estimate that as many
as 20 percent of the people there suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), some of them
so seriously that they become suicidal.

Water Bodies

Scotland is characterized by an abundance of rivers, streams, and lakes (lochs), which are
especially numerous in the Central Lowlands and Highland regions.
There are 26 rivers which flow into the sea from Scotland but very few are well known. Below
are a few of the better known ones:

 The Tay River  The Dee River

 The Spey River  The Don River
 The Clyde River  The Forth River
 The Tweed River
Many of the rivers of Scotland, in particular those in the west, are short, torrential
streams, generally of little commercial importance. The longest river of Scotland is the Tay.
The Clyde, however, is the principal commercial river. Other important rivers include the Forth,
the Tweed, the Dee, the Spey and the Forth. Most of the rivers flow into the North Sea, but for
the Clyde which flows into the North Channel.

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 Lochs/ Lakes
There are numerous Lochs in Scotland which are appreciated by locals and tourists alike.
Loch Lomond is the largest fresh water Loch and offers amazing natural beauty. The biggest
lochs in Scotland are:
 The Loch Lomond  The Loch Maree
 The Loch Ness  The Loch Morar
 The Loch Awe
Scotland’s Loch Lomond is an area that has long been recognized for its spectacular
environment and amazing serenity. It is a magical place where many come to escape.
For centuries burly Scotsmen have been touting stories of a legendary monster that
inhabited Loch Ness. ‘Nessie’, as it has been affectionately called, has not only become
synonymous with the loch but has in many instances become more famous than this beautiful
body of water. However, in this day and age of science and technology, very few people would
gladly admit that they are believers in one of the world’s most famous fabled monsters.
Loch Ness is probably Scotland’s best known lake, due to the Loch Ness monster that
might live in its waters. Though this fact is not scientifically proved. However there exists a
popular nickname for the creature – Nessie. But Loch Ness is not the largest lake in Scotland.
That is Loch Lomond which is also the largest lake in the whole of Britain.
The Caledonian Canal is a canal in Scotland that connects the Scottish east and west
coasts. Only one third of the entire length is man-made, the rest being formed by Loch
Dochfour, Loch Ness, Loch Oich, and Loch Lochy. These lochs are part of the Great Glen,
a geological fault in the Earth's crust. This waterway which is capable of taking sea-going
vessels and linking the Atlantic Ocean with the North Sea.

The most important cities in Scotland are Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee,
Melrose (reports).

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park

A national park in Scotland centred on Loch Lomond, and includes several ranges of hills
and the Trossachs. It was the first of the two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament
in 2002, the second being the Cairngorms National Park.
The park consists of many mountains and lochs, and the principal attractions are scenery,
walking, and wildlife.
It's okay to ask - 'Trossachs' is a unique word, for a unique place. It refers to the romantic
area of sparkling lochs, crumpled hills, sleepy forests and welcoming villages east of Loch
Lomond and west of Stirling. You might hear it called 'The Highlands in miniature' and that's a
good description.
Sir Walter Scott later visited the area's wild little glens and was so enthralled that he wrote
his epic poem The Lady of the Lake (1810) about a girl who lived here. This work was a
phenomenon - it became the first international bestseller. The Trossachs became a haven for those
seeking romantic beauty with Wordsworth, Coleridge and many famous artists also visiting the
area.
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 England

England is the largest part of the UK. It occupies the largest part of the island of Great
Britain. It borders on Scotland in the north and on Wales in the west. England is narrow in the
north, but it widens in the south with East Anglia in the east and Cornwall in the west. England is
generally lower and flatter than the rest of the UK, but has two main divisions in its form – the
lowland areas of the south, east, and Midlands and the more rugged and upland areas of the north
and west. It can be divided into Northern England, Central England ( the Midlands), Southern
England.

Relief

Adjoining the Southern Uplands region along the boundary with England are the Cheviot
Hills, which form the natural border between England and Scotland.

The main mountain range in England is the Pennines (or the Pennine Chain). They extend
southwards from the Cheviot Hills to the Midlands. These mountains are also called ‘the
backbone of England’. Along this mountain chain one can find a number of national parks. One
of them is Yorkshire Dales National Park (dale – valley).

East of the Pennines is the North York Moors is a national park in North Yorkshire,
containing one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. It covers an
area of 1,430 km2.

Another part of the Pennines is the Peak District, which is an area of caves, hills, valleys
and moors. It has been a national park since 1951 and is very popular with people who enjoy
walking and climbing.

The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in
northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and
South and West Yorkshire.

To the west of the Pennines are the Cumbrian Mountains (Камберлендские горы). Here is
Lake District – one of the loveliest parts of England, famous for its scenery, hills and beautiful
lakes. It is also one of the most scenic areas of England, its many lakes, or meres, mountain tarns
and streams, waterfalls, bleak fells, and craggy mountains offer a variety of scenery unmatched
elsewhere in the country. Scafell Pike (978 m/3,209 ft), in the west of the Lake District is the
highest point in England.

In the south we find the Cotswolds a range of limestone hills extending about 80 km (50
mi) north-east of Bath. The Cotswolds in the heart of England is an area of outstanding beauty
and famous picturesque villages made from the golden local stone. It is an area rich in history and
one of the most popular regions of England to explore. From Stratford upon Avon in the North, to
the beautiful Roman city of Bath in the South, the Cotswold journey takes you through magical
little villages and places that have remained untouched and immaculately preserved throughout
the ages.

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 Some areas in the south of England are called Downs (North Downs, South Downs,
Hampshire Downs, Berkshire Downs…). This is a system of rolling chalk hills south of the
Thames River, of which the best known are the North Downs and the South Downs. Both ridges
(хребет) extend from a series of hills, the Western Downs however in fact they are hills. This
paradox can be easily explained. In the Celtic language the word ‘Down’ meant ‘hill’.

Dartmoor is another large wild open hilly area in southwest England. It also comprises a
national park. Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Dartmoor includes the
largest area of granite in Britain.

Exmoor is an upland (возвышенность) of rocks classified

as gritstones, sandstones, slate, shale and limestone, siltstones, and mudstones depending on the
particle size.

The Chilterns or the Chiltern Hills is a large range of hills between Oxford and London.
They are well-known for their attractive scenery. The Chiltern Hills stretch from the River
Thames in Oxfordshire to Hitchin in Hertfordshire and are nationally-protected as some of the
finest countryside in the UK. They're a fantastic place to explore all year round.

The eastern part of England is mostly flat.

The Fens, also known as the Fenland(s), the Fen Country are a naturally marshy region in
eastern England. The Fens is a region of reclaimed marshland in eastern England, surrounding the
Wash. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying
agricultural region. A fen is the local name for an individual area of marshland.
Water Bodies

The longest river in England is the Severn. It rises in the Cambrian Mountains and flows
through the west Midlands into the Bristol Channel. The river Thames is the busiest one in
England. It flows through London and into the English Channel. Other important rivers in
England are the Trent, the Mersey, the Tyne, the Avon, the Great Ouse.

As it has already been said, the lakes of England are located in the Lake District in the
Cumbrian Mountains. The largest lake here is Lake Windermere.

Norfolk Broads - an area in the county of Norfolk, in eastern England, which contains more
than thirty “broads” (artificial lakes). It is man-made from shallow peat (торф) diggings which
are now flooded. They date from between the 9th and 13th century. During that time, peat was
the main fuel for heating and cooking, particularly as most of east Norfolk had been deforested.
As more and more peat was dug, the pits filled with water, eventually making them unworkable.

The most important cities of England are Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle-upon-
Tyne, and Birmingham. Liverpool, Coventry and some others.

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 Wales

Wales is situated in the western part of the island of Great Britain. Wales also includes the
island of Anglesey, which is separated from the mainland by the narrow Menai Strait.
Wales is bordered by England to the east, and by sea in all other directions: the Irish Sea
(Môr Iwerddon) to the north and west, the Celtic Sea (Y Môr Celtaidd) to the southwest, St.
George's Channel (Sianel San Siôr) (St George's Channel between Ireland and Wales connects
the Celtic and Irish Seas) and the Bristol Channel (Môr Hafren) to the south. Altogether Wales
has over 1,180 km (733 mi) of coastline and over 50 islands, the largest being Anglesey (Ynys
Môn) in the northwest. The coastline is irregular with many bays. The largest one is Cardigan
Bay (a large inlet of the Irish Sea).
Relief

Much of Wales' diverse landscape is mountainous, particularly in the north and central
regions. There are some narrow coastal plains, mainly in the south and west, river valleys, and
lowlands of the Welsh Marches along the English border.
The Cambrian Mountains extend north-south through central Wales, and occupy about
two thirds of the country.
The Cambrian Mountains are a region of plateaus and hills that are themselves fragmented
by rivers. Protruding from that backbone are two main mountain areas—the Brecon Beacons in
the south - the rugged volcanic rocks, and Snowdonia in the northwest. Snowdonia’s magnificent
scenery is accentuated by stark and rugged rock formations, many of volcanic origin, whereas the
Beacons generally have softer outlines.
There are three National Parks in Wales covering an area of 20% of the land area of Wales.
Snowdonia was designated in 1951 followed by Pembrokeshire Coast in 1952 and Brecon
Beacons in 1957. National Parks were created to protect the most beautiful and imposing
landscapes in the UK. The statutory designation recognises the national importance of such
landscapes and gives them a high degree of protection. The special qualities of each park are
different in terms of their landscape character, historical and cultural heritage.

Water Bodies

The River Dee rises in Snowdonia, flows through northern Wales into England and also
forms part of the border between the two countries and then discharges to the Irish Sea. And this
is one of the country’s principal rivers.
The others are the Wye and the Severn, which both flow eastward into England, and then
turn south to empty into the Bristol Channel. For much of its length the river forms part of the
border between England and Wales.
The Wye is important for nature conservation and recreation. In the south, many of the
rivers flow through steep valleys, including the Usk, rises in the Brecon Beacons National Park,
Teifi, and Towy.
The main river of the north, apart from the Dee, is the Clwyd. The land on both sides of the
Clwyd Estuary is a historic floodplain and marshland.
As in Scotland, most people in Wales live in one small part of it. The main population and
industrial areas are in south Wales, where you’ll find Cardiff, our capital city.
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 In the Welsh case the southeast of the country and is most heavily populated, Cardiff,
Swansea and Newport urban areas. It’s because of coal mines, which were located there in the
times of the industrial revolution. Now coal mining has almost entirely ceased as elsewhere and
the transition to other forms of employment has been painful.
A large share of the Welsh population lives in smaller settlements: nearly 20% live in
villages of less than 1,500 persons compared to 10% in England.
Most of Wales is mountainous, because of this travel between north and south is difficult.
As a result each part of Wales has closer contact with its neighbouring part of England, than it
does with other parts of Wales (the North with Liverpool, Mid Wales with English West
Midlands).
The most important cities are Swansea, Newport and Cardiff.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is the smallest part of the UK. Probably it is better known by its shorter
name Ulster. It is situated in the north-eastern part of Ireland. Northern Ireland is also known as
Ulster, because it comprises six of the nine counties that constituted the former Irish province of
Ulster.

Relief

The shoreline of Northern Ireland is characterized by numerous irregularities.

The most spectacular feature of the northern coast is the Giant’s Causeway, a volcanic
rock formation consisting of thousands of closely placed, many-sided pillars of black basalt. A
mysterious geological formation on the North East.
The site plays a major part of Ireland’s heritage, attracting visitors from around the world
each year since it was first documented in 1693 and realistic sketches were published in 1740.
The Giant’s Causeway has often been described as the Eighth Wonder of the World and was
declared as Ireland’s first World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1986.
Visitors each year marvel at the beauty of the 40,000 unique hexagonal basalt columns
which form stepping stones that disappear downwards into the sea. The site is also popular with
geologists and, according to them, the Giant’s Causeway was formed some 50-60 million years
ago as a result of repeat outpourings of volcanic basalt, during the Tertiary period of the earth’s
evolution. Today the Causeway Coast is still an important location for geological study.
Northern Ireland can be thought of topographically as a saucer centred on Lough (lake)
Neagh (381 sq km), the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles.

There are three main upland areas in Northern Ireland which form a kind of a distant ring
around this lake. They are: the Sperrin Mountains in the north-west and the Antrim Mountains
along the north-eastern coast, which are extensions of the Scottish Highlands; and the Mourne
Mountains in the south-east. The highest point in the country is Slieve Donard (852 m/2,796 ft),
a peak in the Mourne Mountains.

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 Much of the landscape of Northern Ireland is gentle, and in most low-lying areas it is
covered with swarms of drumlins.

Water Bodies

It has already been mentioned that the chief lake is Lough Neagh. With an area of about 381
sq km Lough Neagh is the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles.

The chief rivers of Northern Ireland are the Foyle, The Bann.

The Foyle forms part of the western boundary with the Republic of Ireland and flows into
Lough Foyle at Londonderry (Derry). It discharges into Lough Foyle and, ultimately, the Atlantic
Ocean. The Upper Bann rises in the Mourne Mountains and empties into Lough Neagh. The
Lower Bann flows out of Lough Neagh to the North Channel.

Among the many other rivers are the Main, the Blackwater.

The main cities of this part of the UK are Belfast, Londonderry.

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